John Dillinger

John Herbert Dillinger (22 June 1903-22 July 1934) was an American gangster during the Great Depression and the leader of an infamous robbery gang during the 1930s. Dillinger and his gang, which included feared criminals such as Red Hamilton, Homer Van Meter, Baby Face Nelson, and Harry Pierpont, robbed several banks in the Midwest from 1933 to 1934, but they were wiped out after an intense manhunt launched by the FBI.

Biography
John Dillinger was born in Indianapolis, Indiana on 22 June 1903 to a family of German descent, and he was known for being involved in petty theft since his teenage years. In 1922, he enlisted in the US Navy, but he was dishonorably discharged for desertion. From 1924 to 1933, he served prison time in the Indiana Reformatory and Indiana State Prison for his robbery crimes, and he befriended Harry Pierpont, Charles Makley, Russell Clark, Homer Van Meter, and Red Hamilton while in prison. His cellmates gave him a list of banks to rob in order to raise enough money to bust them out of prison, and he robbed several banks that next week. Dillinger was able to bribe some prison guards with this money, allowing for guns to be smuggled to the prisoners, who staged their own escape.

Dillinger Gang
Throughout 1933, Dillinger and the other escapees ran around the Midwest, taking part in several bank robberies and other crimes. The first Dillinger gang ended in early 1934 when its members were captured while living in Tucson, Arizona after an East Chicago bank robbery, and Dillinger and the others were imprisoned; Pierpont was executed, while Makley was killed during a failed escape attempt. Dillinger managed to escape by using a fake pistol that had been carved out of one of his prison shelves with a razor, and he reunited with Hamilton. Dillinger and Hamilton decided to team up with Baby Face Nelson, Van Meter, and some other violent gangsters, and they formed a new gang; Hamilton was the only companion of Dillinger to run with both of his gangs.

Downfall
By July 1934, Dillinger was deep in hiding in Chicago, Illinois, and he received a plastic surgery. However, he attended Chicago Cubs baseball games and was frequently present at brothels, spending time with prostitutes. On 21 July 1934, brothel madam Ana Cumpanas decided to inform on Dillinger to the FBI in exchange for the FBI preventing her deportation to Romania (which had been ordered due to her dishonest profession). The madam informed the agents that Dillinger was going to see a movie with one of the prostitutes at either the Biograph Theater or the Marbro Theater in Chicago. The next night, at approximately 10:40 PM, he was cornered by federal agents after exiting the theater. Dillinger attempted to run into the alleyway, shooting at the agents, but he was gunned down by three agents. The fatal bullet went through the back of his neck and extied through under his right eye, severing several nerves and arteries. His death was seen as a major victory for the FBI under J. Edgar Hoover.